Sprinkler head



Dec. 14, 1954 c, RQWLEY I 2,697,008

SPRINKLER HEAD Filed Oct. 9, 1955' United States 2,697,008 v SPRINKLER HEAD Arthur C. Rowley, Drexel Hill, Pa., assignor to Globe Automatic Sprinkler Company of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania This invention relates to improvements in atomizing sprinkler heads and a principal object of the invention 15 to provlde a novel and improved device of this type characterized by highly efiicient operation and improved functional characteristics.

In prior art sprinkler heads, the spray pattern was formed by two initially divergent streams, one of which impinged against the ceiling of a building and thence flowed downwardly and the other of which diffused directly outwardly. In this device, the tendency was to create excessive sprinkling in some areas and inadequate sprinkling in other areas. Furthermore, the spray pattern area was small as compared to the volume of water required and consequently these devices were relatively inefficient.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a sprinkler head affording a high degree of atomization together with a substantially uniform distribution of all the Water over a relatively great area.

The invention resides also in certain novel structural details and arrangements hereinafter described and illustrated in the attached drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a vertical elevational view of a sprinkler head made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an end elevational view of the sprinkler head of Fig. 1;

3 is a bottom plan view of the sprinkler head of 1g.

4 is a view taken substantially on line 4--4 of 1g.

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective of the distributor element utilized in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a vertical elevational view of a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 8 is a view taken substantially on line 7-7 of Fig. 6; and,

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of the distributor element used in a modified form of the invention.

With reference to the drawings, the assembly forming the subject of the present invention comprises a sprinkler frame 1 of conventional type, this frame comprising an upper hollow body member 2 having a through-passage 3 and the usual threaded extension 4 by means of which the frame is mounted in the sprinkler pipe system. Attached to and extending from the body member 2 are two arms 5 and 6 which meet at their lower ends in a frustro-conical juncture 7 having a threaded bore 8 (see Fig. 4) for reception of a set screw 9. This screw is utilized to stress the thermally responsive linkage assembly 12 which normally holds a closure disc 14 on its seat at the lower end of the passage 3 and which disintegrates upon the fusion of the thermosensitive element 13 to release the disc 14 from the passage-scaling position on the nozzle extension 15. The link assembly 12 may be considered conventional and the principle of its con struction and mode of operation will be well understood by those familiar with the art. The passage 3 is aligned with the conical juncture 7 so that when the closure disc 14 is released the stream of water discharging from the passage will be directed at the said juncture. In this type of sprinkler, atomization and distribution of the water in the stream has, heretofore, been the function of a spreader element attached to the frame at the outer side of the juncture of the arms of the frame, said element conventionally presenting a generally concave surface to the stream. In such structures, a degree of disruption of the stream before melting the distributor surface had been 2,697.,tid Patented Dec. 14, 1954 unavoidable with consequent adverse effect upon uniformity of distribution.

In accordance wich the present invention, I provide a dome-shaped distributor 23 having a socket 10 shaped for reception of the outer end portion of the juncture 7 and theouter edges of the immediately adjoining portlons of the arms 5 and 6 so that the domed surface of the distributor may be brought into a position within the uncture and relatively close to the discharge end of the passage 3. In this manner, the juncture surfaces become in effect a functioning part of the deflector and are made to cooperate with the deflector in the atomizing and distributing function. The juncture 7 and the immediately adjoining portions of the arms 5 and 6 are shaped for efficient cooperation with the distributor to the desired end. This fact, in conjunction with the action of the domed distributing surface, affords a highly uniform distribution of the atomized Water over a considerably greater area than has been possible with the prior devices.

With reference more particularly to Figure 5, it will be noted that the socket 10 comprises a central substantially circular aperture 24 having at diametrically opposite sides thereof angular recesses 25 and 26. As best shown in Figures 2 and 4, the aperture 24 is dimensioned to receive the outer end of the conical juncture 7 and to fit closely around the approximate midsection of this juncture; and the recesses 25 and 26 are shaped and dimensioned for reception of the outer edge portions of the frame arms 5 and 6 in the areas immediately adjoining the juncture 7. When applied to the frame, the spreader will assume a stable position, illustrated in the drawings, at the outer end of the frame with the domed surface of the spreader intersected in effect by the juncture 7 and the immediately adjoining outer edge portions of the said arms. In this position, the spreader is rigidly secured by means of a retaining disc 27 which embraces the outer extended end portion 28 of the juncture 7 and is anchored in position by the upset riveted outer extremity 29.

It will be noted by reference to Figure 5 that the domeshaped central portion 31 of the spreader 23 terminates at its outer edge in a circumferential relatively spaced series of outwardly projecting slightly upturned fingers 32. It will be noted also that the arms 5 and 6 where they join the juncture 7 and intersect the dome surface 31 of the spreader are cross-sectionally of flat diamondshaped formation, as shown in Figure 6, having narrow inner and outer edges 33 and 34, and that the recesses 25 and 26 which receive the arms are of such depth that the domed surface 31 of the spreader intersects the side faces of the arms 5 and 6 on lines extending approximately from their midsection or points of maximum thickness to the outer narrow edges. It has been found that when a spreader and a frame juncture of the forms described are combined in the manner set forth, the water of the stream projected from the passage 3 will tend to flow smoothly over the surfaces of the conical juncture 7 and of the arms 5 and 6 in the areas immediately adjoining said juncture and outwardly in a film over the domed surface 31 of the spreader, and will pass to the fingers 32 as a continuous annular layer of substantially uniform thickness to be broken up and projected outwardly by action of the fingers and their intervening spaces in a symmetrical spray pattern within which the water is distributed with substantial uniformity over the entire comprehended area. The action of the spreader and of the immediately adjoining surfaces of the frame juncture is in direct contrast to the action of the prior conventional devices wherein the frame arms constituted an undesirable obstruction adversely affecting the uniform flow of the projected stream to the active surfaces of the distributor.

In installations where it may be found desirable to mount the sprinkler head in an upright position instead of the depending positions shown in Figures 1 and 2, I prefer to employ the slightly modified form of spreader illustrated in Figures 6, 7, and 8. The spreader comprises the same typical dome-shaped surface 35 described above and bearing essentially the same relation to the juncture area 36 of the frame 37. In this case, however the fingers 38 at the periphery of the domed surface 35 are turned back at a relatively sharp angle and are thereby directed downwardly and slightly outwardly from the edges of the dome as well illustrated in Figure 7. In this case also, I prefer to use a retaining disc 39 of relatively great diameter substantially in excess of the diameter of the spreader to act asa deflector for those portions of the atomized screen which, passing through the spaces between the fingers 38, are projected in directions above the horizontal. This modification is in functional principle identical to that described above.-

I claim:

1. In a sprinkler head including a nozzle for discharge of water in a directed stream from a pressure source, said frame comprising a pair of arms extending from opposite sides of the nozzle and meeting in a juncture remote from and in alignment with the nozzle, a spreader at said juncture confronting said nozzle, said spreader comprising an annular series of relatively spaced atomizing and water distributing fingers together with a domeshaped central portion terminating at the outer edge in said fingers for initially intercepting said stream and for directing the stream in a form of a substantially uniform annular film by way of the dome surface of said central portion to said fingers, and said dome-shaped central portion of the spreader being provided with a socket for reception of said juncture and of the immediately adjoining portions of the arms, said juncture and arms thereby intersecting the domed surface of the spreader.

2. A sprinkler head according to claim 1 wherein the said juncture is frustro-conical in form with the sides thereof diverging toward the said domed surface of the spreader and wherein also the spreader socket comprises a central substantially circular portion to receive and approximately fit the sides of said juncture together with recesses at opposite sides of and extending outwardly from said central portion for reception of the arms where they adjoin said juncture.

3. A sprinkler head according to clairn 2 wherein the said juncture-adjoining portions of the arms are approximately diamond shaped in cross-section, said section being' elongated in the intersecting median plane containing the axis of the frustro-conical juncture and presenting narrow edges to the nozzle, the arm-receiving recesses of the spreader socket having outwardly converging side edges to fit the converging outer side faces of the arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 824,128 Martin June 26, 1906 2,076,483 Rowley Apr. 6, 1937 2,550,456 De Flon Apr. 24, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 146,803 Great Britain July 15, 1920 17,314 Great Britain of 1891 

